How to Avoid Pot Arrests: Be White

A new report released by the New York Attorney General shows that the single best way to avoid a marijuana arrest is to have white skin, Opposing Views reports.

The report looked at the "stop and frisk" procedures of the New York City Police Department, in which city cops detain hundreds of thousands of pedestrians a year without cause and, without consent or court-permission, search their pockets. As it turns out, this seemingly-random shakedown policy nabbed mostly people of color, with 87% of post-search arrests targeting blacks and latinos.

Even though pot use rates are similar among all races, black skin will put you at four times greater risk for a marijuana arrest in New York City, the report shows. That is, more or less, the story across America, where pot prohibition is enforced against black people to a much greater degree than their white cannabis-consuming counterparts.

Because of the inherent racism of the U.S. drug war, which is primarily fueled by hundreds of thousands of annual pot arrests, the NAACP has taken a lead in reforming U.S. drug policy. Most recently, the group endorsed federal legislation to call a truce in states that have legalized marijuana.